Creature Comforts: Private Pen Pals: A Reference of Emotions

Copyright © 2008 by Rochelle Lynn Holt

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ISBN: 978-0-595-49167-4 (pbk)

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Contents

Reflection—Sparrow - January 1

In/trepidation (Intrepidity)-Ocelot - January 2

Rehabilitation—Wounded Jackdaw - January 3

Caution—Hornet - January 4

Perception—Pheasant - January 5

Separation—Worm - January 6

Reconciliation—Lioness - January 7

Rebellion—Chicken - January 8

Concentration—Panda - January 9

Recuperation—Crippled Secretary Bird - January 10

Recognition—Lark - January 11

Intuition—Sphinx - January 12

Temptation—Grasshopper - January 13

Isolation—Seahorse - January 14

Expedition—Stellar Spectacled Cormorant - January 15

Assimilation—Rocky Mountain goat - January 16

Tension—Ferret - January 17

Discrimination—Kingfisher - January 18

Aggression—Wolf - January 19

Inauguration—Donkey - January 20

Confirmation—Ebony Dove - January 21

Infuriation—Stingray - January 23

Excavation—Burying Beetle - January 24

Passion—Gerbil - January 25

Perturbation—Okapi - January 28

Molestation—Mole - January 29

Seduction—Egyptian Vulture - January 30

Realization—Dog - January 31

Self-Creation—Flying Fish - February 1

Routine—Groundhog - February 2

Domination—Dinosaur - February 3

Irritation—Buzzard - February 4

Congratulations—Lyrebird - February 5

Substitution—Hamster - February 6

Opposition—Anaconda - February 7

Dissension—Common Jay - February 8

Victimization—Portuguese Man-of-War - February 9

Prescription—Meadowlark - February 10

Ascension—Phoenix - February 11

Cultivation—Snipe - February 12

Restoration—Yak - February 13

Flirtation—Quail - February 14

Instigation—Louse - February 15

Prolongation—Gazelle - February 17

Self-Preservation—Jaguar - February 18

Benediction—Antelope - February 21

Jurisdiction—Pit bull - February 22

Contradiction—Jailbird - February 23

Illusion—Toad - February 25

Initiation—Wolf Pup - February 26

Germination—Wombat - February 27

Introspection—Zebu - February 28

Inspection—Ibis - March 1

Permission—Monkey - March 2

Elation—Butterfly - March 3

Oppression—Porcupine - March 5

Mystification—Buffalo - March 7

Preservation—Condor - March 8

Invasion—Salamander - March 12

Persuasion—Armadillo - March 13

Imagination—Ugly Duckling - March 14

Confession—The Oystercatcher - March 15

Emotion—Loon - March 17

Consternation—Lost Unicorn - March 18

Determination—Ram - March 19

Communication—Dolphin - March 20

Illumination—Swan - March 21

Inspiration—Ladybug - March 22

Organization—Cat - March 23

Transformation—Chameleon - March 24

Resignation—Duck - March 25

Concession—Mule - March 26

Disinclination—Sloth - March 27

Procession—Snail - March 28

Fixation—Fawn - March 29

Addiction—Hyena - April 1

Gestation—White Possum - April 2

Direction—One-Eyed Kakapo - April 3

Destruction—Siren - April 4

Consideration—Angelfish - April 5

Fragmentation—Tarantula - April 6

Hesitation—Mouse - April 7

Incubation—Robin - April 8

Immolation—Man - April 9

Commiseration—Yorkshire Terrier - April 10

Reclamation—Seal - April 11

Conclusion—Nag - April 12

Fruition—Koala - April 13

Abnegation—Rhinoceros - April 14

Exoneration—Katydid - April 15

Argumentation—Bull - April 16

Revivification—Kinkajou - April 17

Contortion—Yellow leg - April 18

Decision—Kudu - April 19

Vacillation—Hedgehog - April 20

Cohesion—Barnacle - April 21

Frustration—Turtle - April 22

Denigration—Fish - April 23

Appreciation—Gopher - April 24

Exhilaration—Fly - April 25

Trepidation—Alligator - April 26

Glorification—Horse - April 27

Disproportion—Glutton - April 28

Gyration—Chimpanzee - April 29

Justification—Woodpecker - April 30

Devastation—Raccoon - May 1

Conversation—Blackbird - May 2

Complication—Ant Lion (Doodlebug) - May 3

Differentiation—Zebra - May 4

Cessation—Aardvark - May 5

Education—Owl - May 6

Restitution—Puma - May 9

Transition—Kangaroo - May 10

Desperation—Jackal - May 13

Absolution—White Buffalo - May 14

Deception—Panther - May 15

Adulation—Jenny - May 16

Deterioration—Caterpillar - May 1 9

Vindication—Viper - May 21

Starvation—White-Bellied Booby - May 22

Exaggeration—Peacock - May 23

Strangulation—Python - May 24

Relaxation—Llama - May 25

Recreation—Babbler - May 26

Experimentation—Sow - May 27

Pretension—Humbug - May 28

Nullification—Shrew - May 29

Reconstruction—Deer - May 30

Stagnation—Scarab - May 31

Tradition—Ox - June 2

Extrication—Quagga - June 3

Protection—Hen - June 4

Speculation—Platypus - June 5

Jubilation—Oxyrhynchus - June 6

Remonstration—Carp - June 7

Castigation—Packrat - June 8

Excitation—Roadrunner - June 9

Migration—Lemming - June 10

Reparation—Whydah (Weaverbird) - June 11

Extinction—Pochard - June 12

Deprivation—Penguin - June 13

Genuflection—Squid - June 14

Procrastination—Pigeon - June 15

Emigration—Emu - June 16

Infatuation—Cicada - June 17

Cognition—Bee - June 18

Dejection—Common Wasp - June 19

Creation—Coyote - June 20

Exhaustion—Two-Humped Camel - June 21

Persecution—Sheep - June 22

Variation—Moth - June 23

Motivation—Ant - June 24

Debilitation—Wounded Cougar - June 25

Compassion—Giraffe - June 26

Desertion—Camel - June 27

Connection—Firefly - June 29

Dedication—Beaver - June 30

Fabrication—Rhea - July 1

Contention—Rooster - July 2

Compulsion—Cuckoo - July 3

Indiscrimination—Flicker - Fourth of July

Distraction—Cockroach - July 5

Undulation—Porpoise - July 6

Perfection—Seagull - July 7

Adumbration—Clam - July 8

Possession—Umbrella Bird - July 9

Commendation—Whale - July 10

Valuation—Ermine - July 11

Brutalization—Gorilla - July 12

Evaluation—Eel - July 13

Domestication—Pangolin - July 14

Indecision—Jellyfish - July 15

Question—Ruff - July 16

Friction—Woman - July 17

Protestation—Crane - July 1 8

Medication—Heron - July 19

Diversion—Grebe - July 20

Conviction—Badger - July 21

Recrimination—Bulldog - July 22

Regeneration—Loggerhead - July 23

Affection—Sea-Lion - July 24

Intoxication—Crab - July 25

Competition—Cockatoo - July 26

Repetition—Dragonfly - July 27

Inundation—House Cricket - July 28

Rejuvenation—Frigate Bird - July 29

Retaliation—Grizzly Bear Cub - July 31

Locomotion—Anabas - August 1

Requisition—Shrike - August 2

Vacation—Kiwi August 3

Integration—Oryx - August 4

Abstention—Apis - August 5

Negotiation—Retriever - August 6

Resuscitation—Walking Stick - August 7

Confusion—Tapir - August 8

Perdition—Lamprey - August 9

Maturation—Shepherd Dog - August 10

Inflammation—Mosquito - August11

Precision—Lynx - August 12

Derision—Laughing Jackass - August 13

Enervation—Gnu - August 14

Compensation—Mink - August 15

Coronation—Scarlet Tanager - August 16

Extermination—Prairie Dog - August 17

Subjugation—Partridge - August 18

Denunciation—Mole Cricket - August 21

Alienation—Ostrich - August 22

Depression—Nightcrawler - August 23

Demolition—Crocodile - August 26

Conflagration—Canis Major (Big Dog) - August 30

Prestidigitation—Glowworm - September 1

Tribulation—Cock - September 2

Proclamation—Nightingale - September 3

Indignation—Dodo - September 4

Repudiation—Vermin - September 5

Invitation—Tern - September 6

Assassination—Shark - September 7

Devotion—Stork - September 9

Levitation—Eagle - September 11

Orientation—Hummingbird - September 12

Decoration—Abalone - September 14

Imitation—Parrot - September 15

Agitation—Bat - September 16

Hibernation—Rabbit - September 18

Incision—Social Wasp - September 19

Abdication—Polar Bear - September 21

Obsession—Squirrel - September 22

Objection—Orangoutang - September 24

Contrition—Opossum - September26

Admiration—Pig - September 28

Suffocation—Octopus - September 29

Repression—Mastodon - October 1

Convolution—Otter - October 3

Revolution—Mongoose - October 5

Remission—Frog - October 7

Evasion—Fox - October 8

Volition—Raven - October 10

Aspiration—Falcon - October 11

Exacerbation—Tsetse - October 12

Predation*—Osprey - October 1 4

Fluctuation—Monarch Butterfly - October 15

Celebration—Female Mockingbird - October 16

Interpretation—Moose - October 17

Deliberation—Red-Billed Toucan - October 18

Annihilation—Turkey - October 19

Progression—Lizard - October 20

Vituperation—Insect - October 22

Affirmation—Salmon - October 24

Aggravation—Woodchuck - October 25

Contemplation—Witch Butterfly - October 26

Consummation—Walrus - October 27

Rejection—Elephant - October 28

Potion/Poison—Pitohui - October 31

False Adulation—Capuchin - November 1

Exploration—Gryphon - November 3

Reaction—Goose - November 5

Sensation—Beetle - November 6

Flagellation—Dragon - November 7

Humiliation—Lion - November 10

Transmutation—Mermaid - November 11

Stimulation—Amoeba - November 12

Crucifixion—Crow - November 13

Distortion—Spider - November 14

Exhortation—Werewolf - November 16

Ambition—Leopard - November 17

Exultation—Bird of Paradise - November 18

Abstraction—Plumed Serpent - November 19

Exasperation—Tiger - November 21

Assertion—Dove - November 22

Seclusion—Rail - November 23

Resurrection—Peahen - November 24

Liberation—Pronghorn (Antelope) - November 25

Fascination—Cow - November 26

Renunciation—Scorpion - November 27

Inhibition—Praying Mantis - November 30

Desecration—Stuffed Teddy Bear - December 1

Articulation—Mynah - December 2

Transgression—Lamb - December 3

Termination—Termite - December 4

Accusation—Rat - December 5

Intention—Ass - December 6

Violation—Vulture - December 7

X-radiation—Skunk - December 8

Intrusion—Moonfish - December 9

Satiation—Swallow - December 10

Anticipation—Cocker spaniel - December 11

Evacuation—Starfish - December 12

Recollection—Wapiti - December 13

Satisfaction—Pelican - December 14

Vision—Fairydiddle - December 15

Coercion—Caracara - December 16

Improvisation—Sea Anemone - December 18

Meditation—White Pony December 19

Rumination—Chipmunk - December 20

Deviation—Snake - December 21

Vexation—Cheetah - December 26

Solution—Bobcat - December 30

Resolution—Ape - December 31

Creature Addendum

Additional Subjects

Postscript

References

About the Author

For survivors of all situations

Cover design by Magdalena Maczuga,

a Polish-born New Jersey artist whose interests in human psychology, symbolism and nature color her mixed-media illustrations.

Reflection—Sparrow         January 1 

On the first day of the New Year, you may be reflective if you happen to see a small sparrow while waiting to hear its song. Perhaps you’ve been censuring yourself or another finch which leads you to reconsider spoken or silent thoughts of reproach as you write a letter of reflection.

Dear Sparrow,

White-throated or white-crowned, your plumage is still a dull gray, even brown, as you flutter, hovering close to what’s familiar, flying from one tree limb to another, stopping at the feeder for birdseed while chirping the same song. I wonder if you ever contemplate the past or tomorrow? Or, do you merely seek to survive from one day to the next?

Some accuse you of being pugnacious, belligerent by nature, but perhaps you’re combative because you have moods, even dreams and goals you’re confident about at dawn. Yet, by dusk, you appear apathetic. Do you wish you were a falcon or an eagle whose terrain is wider than your narrow field, the vague security of a boxy home or a feathered nest? Do you ever miss England or long to learn a new tune to swell your frame larger than a pine cone?

I’m pondering the space I’ve traveled over the last year. I’m deep in thought as I judge past actions while reflecting on where I’ve been vs. where I’m going.

I alternate flight with a mincing walk and often wonder who will teach me to whistle sweetly. We all own a certain purpose, no doubt, which eludes us from time to time. Ah, in this way do we always begin the new year? Remembering, projecting, and attempting to exist with just a little bit more joy than yesterday.

(If you’re a sparrow who belittles insignificant stature or small size of finch you co-habit with, even if s/he’s you, write a letter of reflection. Often, it’s best to think twice to recall any song you’ve shared to express forgotten devotion to beauty whether it’s a struggle or not!)

Dear Sparrow,

In/trepidation (Intrepidity)-Ocelot         January 2 

You awaken in a state of fear but with desire to be courageous when you visualize an ocelot, similarly oscillating because of slick spotted coat. You intrepidly write a letter to the polka-dot cat, because you want to be fearless.

Dear Ocelot,

You’re nocturnal, so you must not be frightened of the dark; or are you? Is that why you seem so alert when others are sleeping? You prey on small birds, because you know they’re dreaming, an easy target for you.

You have a yellow coat with black spots as I recall my own fearfulness despite a desire to be dauntless. Still, I’m like a chameleon who blends into the background. It’s safer to prowl as a spy in the forest if flaws remain concealed. I can be brave if I don’t face the light or hunters who think they see me for what I am, a large cat who can be easily trapped, domesticated in glaring sun, even annihilated.

I’m a paradox—sleek and far-ranging but a coward as well who runs in daylight from bigger animals which is why I must be vigilant at dusk-dark to renew valor that doesn’t exist at dawn when others see me as simply oversized yellow pussycat with long muzzle.

(If you would feel bold, write a letter to the ocelot, someone who vacillates between state of cowering fear and the desire to be courageous. Recognize that there are reasons why you also fluctuate.)

Dear Ocelot,

Rehabilitation—Wounded Jackdaw         January 3 

Perhaps you’ve already broken a resolution or two and the New Year has barely begun. You see a wounded crow at the edge of your front porch. For some bizarre reason, you realize you need to write a letter of rehabilitation, more than a get-well note, to some jackdaw you may have wounded.

Dear Jackdaw,

You’re a large glossy grackle, but your great tail is short. You’re obviously wounded, unable to fly back to familiar steeples and ruins you used to frequent. Maybe what you require isn’t mere respite but a period of lengthy recovery to regenerate form and spirit to resume flight with full force.

You live in holes in lofty places and have been taught to speak; however, now you must dive for protection from not only the elements but those who would prey on you in your weakened condition.

You need more than a day to restore health and confidence surely linked with the ability to soar. Be patient. Let me help! Don’t be frightened of a little human kindness. I’ll not entrap or feed you in a cage. I recognize your need to be free to explore turrets and spires.

I assure you will nest again in higher spheres. I’ll offer worms and insects as a temporary measure. Your small beak is too indifferent to care about nourishment, but you require this period of doing nothing to self-heal.

(If you know or are yourself a wounded jackdaw, send a letter of rehabilitation, offering yourself as home nurse. The experience will be therapeutic, especially if you’re patient.)

Dear Jackdaw,

Caution—Hornet         January 4 

Everyone’s busy or complaining about lack of or too much work although work is really a position that provides certain stability and security when you think of what socialization already has done to you as member of any team. Are you bemoaning the groove or rut which has caused this bitterness? Write a letter of caution to the hornet, buzzing outside your window. Does the hornet insist that all friends must work together?

Dear Hornet,

You seem to prefer old sturdy trees as a slave to tradition. Do you think everyone must labor tediously for the good of the group? When one wasp protests, you curse and sting, maintaining that everyone should build large papery nests.

Wear yellow and black every day, I can hear you warning. Prey upon humans who are curious. Don’t play or wander from the one purpose that’s our lot.

When any of us questions mundane role or attempts to flutter on our own to see how others build their homes, are we also reprimanded and stung with venomous logic that belittles individual curiosity? Does this merely increase our longing to leave the family or the familiar?

Instilled with fear from the moment we’re born to believe our only task in life is to work for the common good, we’ve become narrow-minded and conservative, berating the wasp who chooses to seek a place without schedule or command.

Does the winged insect only hope to breathe in a larger space, to feel less-crowded or pushed by rules that demand rote thinking for humdrum tasks?

(If you’re a hornet who rebels against communal life or know one who yearns to escape the crowded nest, write a letter to him/her that throws caution to the wind. Maybe you both need to remove your wings from a contentious situation!)

Dear Hornet,

Perception—Pheasant         January 5 

Perhaps you never made any New Year resolutions for fear you’d break them as so many of us do. Are you in a glass bottle, thinking you need to change your perspective on life but somewhat wary? You’re reading a book about birds, when the sight of a pheasant stuns you. Does this feathered creature force you to consider perception?

Dear Pheasant,

You’re an exceptionally long-tailed, ring-necked ground-feeding bird with short wings and fast low flight which makes me more introspective at this moment. Maybe I’ve been trying to soar higher than I should or can? Neither of us is meant for the distance we attempt outrageously or bravely. We’re easy targets for the hunger, because we almost signal then point the way to plumage that’s neither gray nor brown but brightly-colored like a rainbow snuggled on the horizon or in the brush.

What is it I want to know with one or more of my senses as I see you feeding on plants and insects so contentedly in the woodland? Do I desire to be an Old Word bird or traveler in a new land who’s bred solely for sport? Is there even a choice for one who’ll become rare dinner under glass or a treasure mounted on a wall?

There’s part of me that yearns to crawl in the scrub while pondering life in another body and milieu, but do I merely dream? Can intuitive insight sail me beyond destiny as fatal target in the hunter’s game? Am I prey for those who don’t pray except for feathered souvenirs?

But, if I don’t desire anything, why should I then be caught in a mortal trap?

(Now, if you live with a strange bird who reminds you of the pheasant; or if you think you’re that odd study, write a letter of perception to convince self or another to stay alive in dangerous but natural habitat. Or, convince either of you to leave the unprotected area for assured safety although the new may become confinement. Remember the zoo!)

Dear Pheasant,

Separation—Worm         January 6 

Epiphany is a Christian festival, commemorating the showing of the infant Jesus to the Magi on the eve of Twelfth Night. In some countries gifts are exchanged upon Epiphany rather than on Christmas day. But, you’re pondering separation from faith or any ritual, maybe even from another person when you see a worm and decide to write a letter of separation.

Dear Worm,

You’re reputed to be regenerative when split apart, an invertebrate with rounded or flattened body. Often you have no appendages and yet have this amazing ability to grow again despite being sundered. Some say that in this way you’re thus devious because of a sinuous crawling that’s so rebirthing.

According to belief, if severed or separated, you simply grow anew another body and then move on which makes me think that perhaps parting/shedding isn’t cessation but positively reconstructive.

Now, I’m reflecting on my own separation from self and another, even life itself. At times I can see that when I’m rational, I accept what existence is in Zen matter-of-fact way. At other times, however, when expectation looms, I feel deprived. That part of me or you or the word which seems gone forever, but may or may not be, is, no doubt, just my lack of experiencing the true nature of being human, of being a worm.

Some people are frightened of lowly creeping creatures with slender elongated bodies. Do I associate the worm with contempt and misery, because I’m separated from spirit? Anything that penetrates, injures or consumes slowly is equated wrongly with a gnawing worm.

If I’m to be in touch with divinity, maybe I shouldn’t be upset by temporal conditions but rather accept division, strife, separation as part and parcel of being a worm, of being human.

1

(If there’s someone (yourself?) from whom you feel distant, write a letter to rejoin, to reconnect to mutual pain and suffering!)

Dear Worm,

Reconciliation—Lioness         January 7 

On Sekmet’s Day (in Egyptian religion), perhaps you’re thinking of the goddess of Memphis, depicted with head of a lioness. Are you wondering why you’ve been so cruel to yourself or to another? Maybe you’re trying to comprehend your identity at whatever age as victim of cruelty or as the abuser. A letter of reconciliation to the Queen of the Jungle might help you reconcile your emotions.

Dear Lioness,

I yearn to accept what I’ve rejected or denied in the past regarding self and/or others. Because I’m a woman (or man) in touch with yin, my feminine nature, doesn’t mean I’m not also at times instinctively wild and ferocious. Isn’t this a natural tendency for any of us and maybe even something we’re entitled to?

You’re a large carnivorous mammal, but you’re the stalker of prey for family, for self, for survival. Your absence of long heavy mane around neck and shoulders belies femininity or what might be expected of you because of gender. You’re the original predator like woman with man self-contained in her identity and not the other way around as lioness embraces courageously her role or mine, wearing short tawny coat above tufted tail.

There are many who think it’s never necessary to be unkind physically or mentally … yet, have they forgotten the true nature of any creature in the jungle? Hasn’t survival been the issue for time immemorial? If so, doesn’t that include sadistic or masochistic tendencies as we go through life, bemoaning pain and sorrow while Zen adherents preach acceptance of both?

To reconcile isn’t to compromise but to re-establish that close relationship between disparate ideals. Not merely to settle but to commit to compatibility as we embrace tiger as lioness. This isn’t a paradox but favorable reception of what overpowers us at any time, deviating from nurturing to being solitary in a group.

(If you’ve been cruel to self or to anyone else; or the victim of cruelty, write a letter of reconciliation that acknowledges inherent bestial nature.)

Dear Lioness,

Rebellion—Chicken         January 8 

Have you been running around like a chicken after its head is cut off or know someone in that state? Maybe you think of the decapitated bird who appears to be a lively rebel. Write el pollo a letter.

Dear Chicken,

Am I a coward or foolhardy when I rebel against routine that society seems to savor? We both rise before the rooster, because we feel there aren’t enough hours in the day which is so segmented. Is this why we feel fragmented, hyperactive, nervous? Am I fretful and fearful of fate if I don’t finish whatever it is I’ve started?

It’s a paradox—this question of which came first: the chicken or the egg. Descended from one or more species of wild jungle fowl, we both seem to have been bred for meat so long that we’ve become distant from spirit. Of course, we know captivity results in slaughter for the sole purpose of someone else’s supper.

We’re classified as chicken-hearted, because we’re equated with Chicken Little, a confirmed pessimist, constantly warning of imminent disaster. Just because an acorn once fell on his head, he thinks the sky is forever falling.

However, maybe doom is easily proclaimed because of the memory of that axe. We all know what happens to lowly domestic birds bred for the guillotine. It’s not chic to be chicken-feed; better to be a chick pea; still, that’s just semantics when you know you’ll be dismembered—wing, thigh, breast, back. Boiled, broiled, fried, brushed with crumbs and flour, you’re either the main dish or the appetizer.

Often I run wild like you, half-knowing what I dread, rebelling in spite of a gnawing fear there’s no escape from a certain end which may or may not lead to a new beginning. I and you squawk in vain that even maimed I’ll not be heard or spared fate as chicken in the pot or on a plate.

(Now, if there’s a chicken with or without head, you or another, consider the courage of fowl, screaming in rebellion, longing to be free of a fatal fate. Is your plight as critical?)

Dear Chicken,

Concentration—Panda         January 9 

You can’t seem to focus as you prowl the day or night, restlessly like a hungry bear. Think of Ling Ling and her test tube offspring. Write a letter to the panda on the subject of concentration.

Dear Panda,

The Mandarin symbols for cat and bear signify your name in panda’s long and bushy tail. Your shoulders slope, blending white fur with black limbs. A mixture of creatures, you might possibly even be related to the raccoon while inhabiting bamboo forests in mountains.

I identify with your coal eyes as though you could be my twin, both of us unable to concentrate on where we belong or why.

In the wild, pandas rarely live beyond their teens, but for twenty-three years, one panda survived in the National Zoo despite the fact that she never bore cubs who lived. I wonder if you were tormented by thoughts that took you back to China or Tibet while pondering exile in a strange land. Even though your country gave you to America as a gift in a cage with Hsing-Hsing, did you know it was solely for procreation, not companionship?

Did you have nightmares of your future and an afterlife? Did you ever dream your eggs would be frozen to mature artificially then inseminated to produce test tube progeny? I’m similarly haunted now by some unknown yet